


Where are you going?

by Kressinstein



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout 4
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Graphic Description, Mental Instability, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-07-09 15:57:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19890469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kressinstein/pseuds/Kressinstein
Summary: Two characters meet, both instantly disliking each other, but after facing their pasts and a common enemy they realize they're looking for the same thing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work, I've always written for fun but was never confident enough to post anything. Have fun reading. I'm sure there will be errors and such. I'm just here to share. Enjoy!

A rusted tin can was swiftly sent flying due to the heavy boot that kicked it. Sand and other small rocks following suit. The person wearing the boot was humming a little too happily for their current situation. An attitude that was hard learned through many dark situations. They kick the can once more as they walk down the empty road, the song now also picking up momentum. There’s a large scoped rifle slung across their torso, its alternative purpose at the moment being to act as an arm rest. The individual hums louder through their face mask as they bend over and pick up the can, examining it for any markings, any sign of how the world use to be. Being thoroughly unsatisfied by lack of history they take the can in both hands and effortlessly smash it down before placing it in their pocket. Their heart beats a little faster as the song reaches its climax, they crescendo into a light singing that no other human ears have ever heard. In the next few seconds the song winds down and so do they, slowly coming to a halt in order to access the horizon. Attempting to squint through dirty goggles seems like a futile task. They reach up and slowly remove them, being caked in sand and sweat makes them almost painful to remove. They grimace at the unpleasant sensation for a moment, the feeling quickly turning to relief. A gloved hand removes the built-up sand and restores the natural reflective trait of the glass. They frown at the smaller version of themselves through the tiny window for a moment, questioning how they look so different. The individual then looks up and towards the horizon, a small gathering of buildings lays beyond. Adrenaline briefly rushes through their veins as their long trek is quite possibly paying off. They sigh to themselves before pulling the goggles back over their eyes and adjusting their mask to fit snugly against them. “About 5 miles out.” They say out loud to no one but themselves.

Roughly 5 miles away in that same small town a smaller blonde woman sits. She sets her empty beer bottle on the other side of the bar, intentionally loud enough for the bar tender to hear. A pair of thick broken glasses are turned her way.  
“I’m guessing you want another one?” The bartender asked clearing his throat. You could only guess the amount of years he had been smoking based off the sound of his voice.  
“Uh yeah?” The woman says with heavy sarcasm. The bartender laughed to himself. “Are you judging me Kevin?”  
He just shakes his head, “No no, you’d just think that the only medic in town would want to stay sober for a day.”  
A cold beer is set down in front of her, “Well I don’t know about you, but have you been outside? Its fucking awful out there. Rabid dog, raiders, Nate is out there somewhere “protecting the town”. I’m surprised you aren’t drinking.” She even used air quotes with one hand before taking a drink. “Plus, keeps my hands steady.”  
He shook his head again, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “Whatever you say Shell. I hope one of these days someone rolls through and makes you eat those words.”  
Shell scoffs into ger beer, “Well I hate everyone, so I’m not worried about that bullshit.” The remark fades as she realizes the truth behind it. She stares down at the bottle briefly before standing to leave. 

“Hey! You can’t leave with that!” Kevin calls after her.  
She waves her hand over her head dismissively, “Arrest me! Dumb fuck.” The last part goes unheard. 

She kicks open the door to the bar and strides out, adjusting the over-under shotgun slung across her back. She casually makes her way towards the main gate to kill some time talking with the guards. Still drinking her beer, she comes to a stop and looks to the top of the gate. Grimacing against the sun she addresses Nate, the town’s lead officer. He only has his title because she declined it, 7 times. “Do as many pull-ups as you want. You still look like shit.”  
He looks over his shoulder at her. “You look like shit!” he says before dropping down and almost falling.  
“Your comebacks are so shit.”  
He shrugs “You’re shit.” 

They share an awkward smile with each other that makes Shell uncomfortable before another officer begins yelling. Causing them to both look up to the top of the gate. “Sir! We have people approach- “. Before he can finish a mist of red erupts from his head. His body goes weak and he falls off the back of the gate. Shell and Nate, in shock, share a look and then jump into action.  
Shell throws her beer and pulls her gun from her back. Nate runs and hit the alarm, sending the whole town into alert. Every other officer is quick to respond to the gate, all with weapons ready to fire. There’s a small cluster of buildings just outside of the gates. Previously they were used as the guard post but with the recent shortage of officers the buildings have been left abandoned. A perfect place for raiders to attack from. 

“We can’t let them get into the town. Let’s take the fight to them. We know the layout better than they do.” Nate said, sweat already beading down his forehead.  
“I actually agree with you.” Shell said. “I’ll run left. You go right.” She then turned to the officers behind her. “When I say, you guys provide covering fire.”  
“Copy.” They answered mostly together.  
Shell took a deep breath, readying herself. With a nod from a very nervous looking Nate she gave the order. “Now!”  
Without missing a beat Shell took off, out the gate and to the left. Nate followed and then broke right with the rest of the officers moving up and firing blindly towards the buildings.  
As Shell ran, she heard gunshots to her right, bullets then peppered the ground by her feet. Thinking quickly, she made the only decision she could. 

Shell runs into a small wooden shed knowing full well bullets could easily penetrate the walls. Moving quickly to the back she holds up her gun and waits. The shed’s open door is facing the buildings leaving her very exposed. She can feel her hands shaking and the only thought she can process is how she wished she had drank something stronger not 10 minutes before all this. She jumps as there’s a quick succession of gun fire. ‘Straight out and up, semi auto rounds, raiders on the rooftops.’ She quickly assesses. “I’m stuck in here.” She says to herself. Outside to her left there’s a single shot, much louder and definitely a large caliber than the other gun fire exchanging. Before she can even think of what gun it must’ve come from, a body drops into view. The raider is flat and contorted from the fall, but that wasn’t the shocking part. Half of his head was missing. She can’t take her eyes off the sight, and without thinking she slowly walks forward, wanting to get a closer look. Once she can see clearly, she lowers her gun slightly. The raider’s brain is in bits all over the ground, blood soaking into the dirt. The one half of his brain that’s still in tacked is hanging out of his skull. Being so caught up in the mess of what was once a living human she doesn’t hear the footsteps approaching. A tall figure rushes her, coming from outside. She raises her gun, but they reach out and grab the barrel of the shotgun, pointing it upwards as it fires. Pellets rip through their shoulder never the less. The stranger doesn’t make a sound out of shock, but Shell screams, flinching and closing her eyes in preparation for an attack. But it never comes, Shell slowly opens her eyes to find a pair of green eyes staring back at her through goggles. To her surprise the stranger’s eyes looked shockingly normal, not crazed and strung out like all the other raiders.

“I’m on your side, asshole.” They say calmly through their dust mask, blood now visibly seeping through their shirt. Shell says nothing as the stranger releases the barrel of her gun, turning back to the door and checking outside. She watches the stranger as she tries to regain her composure, eyeing the large rifle they have shouldered and ready to fire. She can see blood dripping down off their elbow as they lean out of the doorway. She takes a step closer, her medical instincts taking over. Just as she’s about to reach out the left side of the door frame just above the stranger’s head explodes into tiny wood fragments. They duck out of the doorway and back into the building, seeing how close Shell is to them, they reach out and roughly push her back. She almost falls as she briefly loses her footing on the wood flooring. “Back up.” They say firmly, annoyance ever present in their tone. Quickly they set their gun down and shrug off their bag. The stranger’s head snaps back to the door and in one fluid motion they step to the right side of the door frame. This time Shell hears the footsteps as they approach. In the next second a raider rushes through the door, gun drawn. But just as they make it over the threshold the stranger throws their arm, effectively clotheslining him. His back hits the ground and he drops his gun, gasping for air, but the stranger doesn’t hesitate. They step over him and pull out a large hunting knife. Dropping onto his stomach with one knee and sinking the blade deep into his neck. He kicks as his breath become disturbing gurgles. The stranger stabs him multiple times, until finally the gurgling stops, and his legs go limp. 

The stranger huffs and rolls their head back looking at Shell. They pull their dusk mask down and push their goggles up, revealing bright eyes and a triumphant smile. It was now obvious to Shell that the stranger is female. The short-undercut hair style being somewhat confusing. “You good?” Shell’s eyes are wide as she slowly nods. The stranger nods and then stands, stepping over the dead raider and outside. Shell watches as them, standing in the middle of the road squinting as they look around for more enemies. The blood from their shoulder wound flowing down their arm and mixing with the blood dripping from the knife. “That should be all of them.” They say wiping the knife off on their pants and holstering it. As they do this, they notice just how bad they’re bleeding. “Ah, you got me pretty good, fuck head.” 

Shell leans back against the wall of the shack, letting her head fall back as well. “Here, I’ll get this out of your way.” The stranger leans down and with their good arm they effortlessly drag the raider out of the doorway. They then reenter the shack and pick up their bag and gun before turning to Shell. “Does this town have a medic? Or supplies?”  
‘How the fuck is she so calm?’ Shell thinks to herself. “I-I uh- “, she shakes her head. “Are you sure its safe?”  
The stranger’s brow furrows. “Yes? There was only 4 of them. I saw them come into town.” Shell nods and begins to walk towards the door before pausing. “I’ll go first you pussy.” They say before moving passed her and out of the shack. She hesitantly follows, eyes rapidly scanning her surroundings. The stranger is walking ahead of her confidently back towards the gate. “So, is there a medic here or what?”  
“Uh yeah, I’m the medic.” She answered still looking around. Shell almost screamed when the stranger turned on a dime to face her, bright eyes now harsh.  
“You. You’re the medic?”  
“Yeah?” She answered throwing a bit of attitude.  
They scoffed. “You? The one who shot me? The one who smells like beer? You’re suppose to help me?”  
Shell frowned, feeling insulted. “Not if you’re gonna be a dick like that.” 

The stranger grimaced before turning and walking away. Nate very quickly ran up to them, gun still at the ready. “Who are you?” he demanded from the stranger, who just completely ignored him and kept walking.  
Nate looked to Shell who just shook her head. “Drop it Nate. We’re clear.” 

Nate and a few other officers brought the two wounded into the clinic while the stranger set their belongings down in the corner. Unfortunately, the officer who had been shot on the wall was beyond anyone’s help. The stranger pulled up a metal stool and small medical table to a mirror Shell had hanging on the wall.  
Nate and the stranger shared a look before she turned away. Nate then turned to Shell who was pulling on gloves. “I don’t like her. If you need anything I’m right outside.”  
“I’ll be fine.” Shell said, eyeing the woman behind him.  
Nate then left, leaving Shell alone. 

The stranger slowly pulled off her shirt, revealing the damage. Her right shoulder had a large wound that was still bleeding. Shell felt guilt lodge itself in her throat as she looked at the stranger that had just saved her ass. She stepped forward, ready to help in any way she could. It was the least she could do. As she approached the stranger turned quickly to address her. "I don’t need your help." her words were harsh and her eyes were even harsher.  
Shell stopped in her tracks. "Wha- uh. I'm the medic."  
"Yes’ you told me." the stranger said turning back away from her dismissively. She then reached into her leg pockets and began pulling out her own medical supplies.  
Feeling insulted yet again, Shell huffed and decided not to listen. She quickly closed the distance, reaching out to access the woman's arm. "You're a stubborn fuck- ". Before she could finish her comeback a strong hand grabbed her wrist.  
Those harsh eyes digging into her own without faltering.  
"I said I don’t need your help. Don’t fucking touch me."  
Shell was quiet as she watched the stranger's eyes, she could see just how tired she was. But she could also see that there was no way she'd be allowed to help. And even though she felt bad for having shot the woman, she didn’t have time to waste on arguing. "Prick." was all Shell said before jerking her hand back and walking away to go tend to the patients. The stranger silently watched her walk away before sighing and returning to her task.  
Shell worked on the other guards for hours. One of them had been shot through the knee and would never be able to walk the same. The other was shot in the hand and stomach. His ring and little finger were no longer but thankfully the wound to his stomach was more of a graze. 

While she worked her eyes frequently snapped up to watch the stranger. They’re shoulder was pretty bad, but it could’ve been much much worse. The stranger started off with an injection of morphine before beginning to clean the wound. They then placed what looked to be a small notebook in their mouth as they proceeded to dig out the lead pellets. 

Eventually both of them finished their work. Shell stood at the bottom of her stairs, silently watching the stranger who was now asleep in a more comfortable chair. Shell couldn’t help but wonder about the stranger’s gun. Tally marks littered the barrel of the weapon.  
Deciding to call it a night she made her way up to her bedroom. Since the town was rather small it just made sense to combine her living quarters with the clinic. Plus, this way it would be easier to keep an eye on her patients.  
She sat on her bed thinking about the day as she slowly drank something a little stronger than beer. At this point Shell had decided that she would be leaving in the morning in search for more meds, more something, anything. The now almost empty bottle she held in her hand, expressing her worry. She looks down at it, wishing she could drink more but with the knots in her stomach it probably wouldn’t end well. Setting down the bottle with a loud thud she rubs her face but doesn’t take her hands away. The next thing she feels is an almost violent wave of emotions. Holding her breath, she waits for it to pass.

The sound of her clinic door makes her ears perk up. ‘Someone else who’s hurt.’ The thought rings in her head before she makes her way back downstairs. But she’s immediately confused once she reaches the actual clinic. There’s no one waiting, no one hurt besides the two guards who are both asleep. Two. Where’s the stranger? Shell quickly looks over the area where they were sitting. Their backpack and gun were gone. “Fuck.” She whispers aloud. Cool night air pricked at her skin as she quickly walked out of her home. She made her way out towards the city gate, hoping that they weren’t trying to leave in that condition. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, having someone so competent around brought a weird sense of comfort.

Just as she had guest, when she could see the main gate, she also saw that taller woman walking towards it. Picking up a jog, she took off towards them. Shell caught up in a matter of seconds, her ears briefly catching the stranger humming to themselves before they turned to face her. With a pistol drawn and pointed directly at her. Shell immediately stopped running and almost slipped from the momentum. The stranger had their dusk mask pulled across their face, but the goggles were instead resting on their forehead. The town spotlights reflected off the glass, but they were also being reflected in the stranger’s eyes. After a split second those same eyes rolled, and the pistol was lowered and then holstered. Without saying anything the stranger then turned around and kept walking towards the entrance. Shell, still in shock stood there for a moment before raising her hands, a mix of annoyance and disbelief coming across her features. But she was stubborn, if not more so than the stranger.

“Uh, hello? Where are you going?” she asked following them once again.  
The stranger looked over their shoulder at her, and without a word, without slowing down, they simply pointed to the gates.  
Shell shook her head, getting even more agitated. “You’re seriously leaving?”  
This time the stranger didn’t even look at her. Raising their hand and giving her a thumbs up.  
“Unreal.” She said to herself realizing all of this was a pointless interaction. Well, she could try one more thing. Rather boldly she ran in front of the stranger, cutting them off. The stranger stopped and stared down at her, looking rather bored.  
They rolled their eyes again and made a face Shell couldn’t exactly see due to the mask, which the stranger then pulled down. “What.” It wasn’t even a question.  
Shell put her hands on her hips and scoffed. “Where are you going with an injury like that?”  
The stranger took a moment, sarcastically acting as if they were actually thinking about it. “North.” They said harshly.  
Shell’s demeanor wavered. Nobody went North, that was suicide. The old city was that way, crawling with God knows what kind of shit. Not even the most heavily guarded traders went that way.  
“What could possibly be North for you?” her voice was thick with authority that went ignored.

“Well for one, I’d be away from you.” The stranger spoke coolly as they walked around Shell and proceeded to the gate once again.  
Shell threw her hands up again and it went unseen, turning she had to get the final word. “You’re un-fucking-believable.”  
The stranger made a humming sound that was way too humored for Shell’s liking. The stranger then turned and began walking backwards before saying. “I know, I can hardly believe it myself.” And that was the first time Shell saw her grin, that fucking smirk. The stranger laughed, and Shell could feel her blood boiling. But then something she wasn’t expecting happened, the stranger stopped and sighed. “Look, I’m not sure what it is you’re trying to accomplish here but I’m leaving and going North. There’s an old hospital that way and I’m hoping I can find something to help with this.” She said gesturing to her shoulder. “Happy? Can I go now?”  
‘You probably wouldn’t need to be going that way if you actually let me help you.’ Shell thought to herself. She crossed her arms. The supplies she so desperately needed were quite possibly at that hospital. If the stranger was even right. And there was absolutely no way they would let her tag along based off their interactions so far. So, she decided to ask one last question, a simple one. “What’s your name?” she asked, chewing her bottom lip.  
The stranger tilted their head back slightly at the question, as if they actually needed to think about the answer. Their eyes landed on Shell’s and without a trace of sarcasm or attitude they answered. “Val. What’s yours?”  
“Shell.”

Val nodded and smiled to herself. “So, like Shell-like shotgun shell? Through my shoulder? Or like Michelle?”  
Shell fought the smile that pulled at her lips. “Michelle, but I like the first one better.”  
Val’s face twitched with something neither of them understood but she nodded again. “Mmm, fitting.” Was all she said. There was a silence that very quickly grew louder and louder as the two looked at each other.  
‘Fuck it.’ “Can I go with you to the hospital?” Shell asked quietly, hopefully. 

“Nope.” Val’s demeanor was back in full effect. She threw Shell another smirk before turning and walking away.  
It was worth a shot. Shell stood there for a while. Watching as the stranger departed. It wasn’t until she was out of sight that Shell finally uncrossed her arms and began walking back home. Soon she was lying in bed trying to get some amount of sleep before leaving in the morning. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at her ceiling. ‘What a fucking day.’ She thought to herself. ‘What a fucking strange person. That trek to the hospital is going to be brutal. I don’t think I’d ever make that journey. Not alone. Fuck. Not even with guards.’ She rolled over and faced the metal wall curling her blankets inwards. ‘She’s probably not going to make it. And with an injury like that? I tried to help. I did everything I could.’ A sigh. ‘I also shot her. But anyone would’ve shot in that situation...... Well she can obviously take care of herself. She’s a good shot.’  
It took some time but Shell finally managed to get some sleep. It was restless and her stomach burned with anxiety, but it was better than nothing. 


	2. It killed them all

Heavy breaths and fast footfalls sound as Val sprints. Her lungs are on fire but she can’t slow down. Blood can be felt running down her arm from her reopened shoulder wound. Behind her, even louder footfalls that shake the ground. She doesn’t know what it is and she certainly doesn’t want to find out. The steps are spaced out, giving her a rough idea of just how tall this thing is. She can also hear branches snapping behind her violently, on the ground and above. Whatever this thing is, it’s at least 8 feet tall. She also considers the fact that it’s running, so its posture is down and forward, changing her estimation to somewhere around 10 feet. 

Val rips her face mask down, desperately needing more oxygen. Fatigue starts to take over, and she knows just how bad she’s bleeding. She tries not to panic but knows she’s ironically running out of time. Her flash light that’s strapped to her bag does it’s best to light the way, but at the speed she’s running it’s not doing much. Through the trees she sees something off to her right.  
3 separate flashlights, one of which is about a foot higher than the others. Survival instincts take over and she very quickly decides that these 3 lights are going to be the victims of her pursuer, not her. The only issue now is that she’ll have to change direction, causing her to slow down and possibly allowing this thing to catch up. Letting out a frustrated and breathless ‘fuck’ Val digs her heel down and reaches out for a passing tree. The bark cuts into her palm as she uses it to change direction. Her momentum swings as desired but she’s absolutely lost some speed. As she’s about to let go of the tree it explodes. Pieces of wood pepper her face and eyes. A sharp force travels from the back of her right shoulder down across her back. One of the straps of her bag and the strap of her rifle are severed. She can barely make out the sound of her gun hitting the ground as she rips off the last strap of her bag off her arm. Leaving everything besides her pistol and the supplies already in her pants pockets behind. With the additional weight now gone Val was able to run even faster in her new direction, towards the lights. 

As she reaches her maximum speed she feels it. The warm flow of blood down her back that’s rapidly being cooled by the night air. It’s bad, it’s really bad, and possibly the worst injury she’s ever obtained. But she quickly pushes the thought aside as her boots meet broken asphalt. The three lights simultaneously turn in her direction, blinding her completely.  
“Contact!” One of the men yell.  
‘They’re gonna fuckin shoot me.’ It’s not even her own thoughts at this point.  
“What the fuck is that?!” Another man yells.  
And with that her ears are pierced with the sound of gun fire. A high pitched ring is all she hears are she sprints in between two men. Just barely she catches a glance at one of the men. His face lit up with sheer terror it didn’t matter, the patch on his shoulder signifying the Brotherhood. His military training was very clearly not enough. She continued to run, even when one of the guns stopped firing. Even when she heard one of them start screaming. And then everything turned red. 

Even though it seemed impossible, Val was startled even further. Looking over her shoulder she saw something she’d never forget. Which was saying a lot for everything she’d already been through.  
One of the officers had set off a flare, illuminating the pitch black night. There it was. It looked like the devil himself. Towering over a man wearing a Brotherhood set of power armor. Its horns were curled and it’s claws glistening with blood. It effortlessly ripped the man’s arm clean off as he tried to defend himself. Her estimation was correct. It was roughly 10 feet of pure horror. She couldn’t tell but she now had tears running quickly down her face as she tried to stay focused on running away. That thing was death and she needed to get as far away from it as possible. It wasn’t long before the screaming stopped. 

The only sound now being her labored breaths, for a second. A thunderous roar sounded far behind her. She sound causing an instinctual reaction in her body. Her blood ran cold and the center of her back burned with fear. It didn’t matter how tired she was, or how much blood she was losing. She ran, for what felt like an hour.  
Finally after God knows how long, Val started to slow. It wasn’t exactly by choice, mind you. Her breath was ragged and even carried a rattling sound at some points. By now the sun was beginning to come up, the sky lightening into a heavy blue. Her vision blurred in and out continuously, she had never felt this weak, so close to passing out. ‘Passing out?’ she thought to herself. ‘I’m dying.’ 

As the thought crossed her mind her right foot dragged slightly, catching on uneven pavement. She barely had time to raise her arms to catch herself before meeting with the ground. Tired arms attempted to push, to no avail. ‘Maybe I’ll just rest for a minute.’  
Her eyelids lowered, now being on her stomach she could feel the blood from her back running down her sides. ‘It’s so much. It’s too much.’ A breeze picked up in that moment, the air felt cool on the 3 inch deep gash that ran across the entirety of her back. Muscle and bone would be visible if it wasn’t for the constant flow of red covering it. She sighed, her breath kicking up a small amount of dust from the ground. ‘I think this is really it.’ She didn’t cry, it was pointless. ‘I should’ve stayed in that town. I should’ve listened to that girl. She was just trying to help me. And now I’m going to die here.’ The faintest smile pulled at her as she thought back to that small medic. ‘She was cute.’ Val closed her eyes and a shaky breath rattled in her chest. All that followed was darkness and peace. 

Knuckles pound on the metal door to Shell’s home jarring her awake. She quickly rolls out of bed, her back popping in the process. Almost slipping she makes her way down the stairs and to the door. Pulling open the heavy door the man on the other side jumps and turns to face her. It’s Nate. His mouth hangs open as he stares at her and then looks back behind himself, towards the gate.  
Shell raises her eyebrows waiting for a sign of life. “What?” her voice is quieter than she likes, a sign that she just woke up.  
Nate turns back to her trying to form a sentence. “I-uh-I we need your help at the gate.”  
Shell stepped out of her house, pushing Nate aside, annoyed with his horrible communication skills. “Come on. What is it? Someone fall off the wall again?”  
Nate jogged to catch up still unable to speak properly. “I uh, I don’t know, he’s either crazy, strung out, or he’s in shock.”  
Shell nodded, picking up her pace.  
They rounded the corner and gate was now in view. There was an average looking man sitting on the ground with multiple guards surrounding him. As she drew closer she could see that the man was absolutely trembling and was mumbling something to himself.  
“I’m not lying. I know what I saw. I’m not lying. I’m not lying.”  
Shell looked over her shoulder at Nate, confusion and concern on both their faces. Even the other officers were sharing the same look as the man rocked back and forth on the ground. His fingers were dug deep into his blonde hair as he kept repeating himself.  
Wanting answers Shell crouched down in front of the man. “Hey what’s goin on?” The man didn’t respond, although he did stop chanting, he was still in his trance. “Hey are you hurt?” she tried again. Nothing. Shell reached out and placed her hand on one of his shoulders. Without warning his eyes snapped up and he lunged, roughly grabbing at her.  
“Whoa whoa!” one of the guards yelled, running over to help.  
With this man now so close, Shell could see the terror in his eyes. She could feel it. “I know what I saw! It killed them!” the guard grabbed the man by the back of the neck and pulled him off Shell, throwing him back. The man landed on the gun that was strapped to his back causing him to cry out. But in the next breath he was right back to his nonsense. “You don’t understand! It killed them all! Torn to shreds like it was nothing!” the man rolled on his side and covered his face as he began to sob uncontrollably. 

“Restrain him!” Nate called out, finally getting his head out of his ass. The man kicked and screamed as two of the officers got ahold of him. “Stop fighting!” Nate yelled, stepping up to assist. “Let’s get this gun away from him too.” During all this Shell stood and watched, praying that this guy was on some type of drug induced trip. Nate pulled the rifle off the man’s back and handed it off to another officer. That officer then turned to walk away, Shell’s eyes snapped to the rifle. High caliber, light grey and had blood stains all over it, and tally marks down the barrel.  
“Wait, let me see that.” Shell told the officer, gesturing to take the gun. Once she got her hands on the rifle she knew. It was Val’s. The only thing different about it was the long abrasion across it. Seeing this made her stomach drop. She looked up at the man as the officers finally got him into cuffs and sat him back down in the dirt. A strange feeling of guilt welled up in her chest. The next thing she knew she shoved the rifle back into the officer’s arms and closed the distance between herself and the crazed man.  
“It ripped them all apart.” He said quietly to himself before Shell’s hand met with his cheek. The sound the action produced caused Nate to grimace but he didn’t stop her.  
Shell knelt down once again. “Look at me.”  
The man stared hard at the ground in complete silence.  
“Look at me!”  
Slowly, the man looked up, tears falling down his face like a child that had just been scolded.  
“Where did you get that rifle?” Shell stared hard into his eyes as she waited. 

He took a breath and spoke quietly at first. “I found it, in the forest. Right before I found that thing!”  
“Ok ok calm down. What thing? What happened?”  
His chin began trembling as he told the story. “I was walking through forest early this morning and I heard people screaming. I figured it was dogs or raiders or something, we never get anything super crazy out here. So I ran towards the sound trying to get a better look and I noticed that there was this huge path that had been cleared through the forest. I followed it, and that’s when I found the gun on the ground.”  
Shell cut in, “Was there already blood on it?”  
The man nodded and then kept talking. “I kept moving towards the sounds.” He paused, “They were so horrific. I’ve never people scream like that, it didn’t even sound human. I was about to turn around and leave, and I should’ve! I should’ve left!”  
“Hey, take it easy, you’re safe here. Keep going.” Shell said attempting to keep the man calm.  
His eyes found hers and he took a breath. “You don’t understand. The sound that thing made. It was so tall. Claws, its claws! It CUT through power armor. The others.”  
Shell cut in. “Others? What others? What did they look like?”  
The man’s mouth hung open as he shook his head. “I-I-I don’t know, they were already dead. It killed them all. They’re all dead.” The man turned and looked at the guards before turning back to Shell. “We aren’t safe here. No one could survive that monster. That is death incarnate.” His warning was heavy. Shell could feel it in her chest. It settled somewhere deep, next to her guilt. ‘If I could’ve stopped her from leaving.’  
Shell stood quickly, being caught off guard by the tears that threatened to fall. Turning away from the man and the rest of the officers she spoke.  
“I want a 3 man scouting team. We leave in 15 mikes.”  
“We?” Nate asked stepping towards Shell.  
Not wanting anymore questions Shell turned, the redness in her eyes was very apparent. “I and 3 of you are walking out of those gates in 15 minutes to figure out what the fuck is out there. So I suggest you get your armor on, if you can even fit in it anymore and get fucking ready.” 

It was quite possibly the most nerve wracking hour of Shell’s life. She and the other officers were walking slowly through the dead forest with guns drawn and ready. One of the younger officers was shaking and would turn and jump at any sound. Sweat soaked bangs stuck to his forehead as he tried to breathe normally. Nate made his way over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Stop. Everything’s fine. There’s nothing out here.”  
“Keep your voice down.” Shell snapped at him.  
Nate huffed, slinging his rifle across his back. “What? It’s been an hour and we haven’t seen or heard anything. I think that guy was full of shit. Probably trying to get some guards out of town so his raider buddies have a better chance.”  
Now that hadn’t crossed her mind, but she doubted a group of raiders would come into possession of Val’s rifle. And even if they did, they wouldn’t be dumb enough to let it be taken away like that. “That’s not funny.” Shell said dismissively. Nate scoffed while the other officers said nothing. They continued to walk in silence until they came to a strange clearing.  
“What went through here?” the younger officer asked.  
Shell looked over at Nate and watched him pull out his rifle. In front of them it looked as if a train had run straight through the trees. Broken branches littered the ground and the grass had been smashed down in patches.  
“Obviously something pretty big.” Nate said quietly.  
“Obviously, you idiot.” Shell quipped.  
Shell moved forward to get a better look at the matted down grass. Looking down she froze, a heavy sense of dread washing over her, color visibly draining from her face.  
“What is it?” the question didn’t register as she looked up. She could only imagine what it must’ve been like running through the forest at night with something this massive behind you. “Shell.” Nate was about to say something more but fell silent when he saw what was at Shell’s feet. 

It was a footprint, it resembled the same shape as a bird’s foot, but with 4 toes and back du claw. The only issue was that it was about 3 feet long. The talons alone were about 5 inches. And next to this monstrosity of an animal track was a plain human footprint.  
Shell still said nothing as she began to follow the tracks.  
“Eyes up.” Nate said quietly as he followed.  
They walked and walked, for what seemed like an eternity. They moved cautiously, stopping to listen every now and again but heard nothing. Eventually they came to a turn, it was almost 90 degrees, a very sudden change in direction. At the corner of the turn, on the right side was a tree, or what was left of it. Wood shards were strewn about, but the upper portion of the tree was intact some feet away. It was as if something had gone straight through it. The other officers spread out as they rounded the turn. At this point Shell could see where the path ended, and the road began. She let out a heavy breath and began walking once again.  
“I got something.” The fourth officer finally spoke.  
On que the other three raised their guns in his direction. He immediately held out his hand defensively. “Easy! It’s a bag.” The others lower their guns as he bends down to pick it up. Grabbing the broken strap, he lifts the bag.  
From where she’s standing, Shell can see that the bag is absolutely soaked in blood. She turned and shook her head, knowing exactly who the bag’s owner is, or was. The officer shouldered the bag and the group continued down towards the road. Once they reached the pavement the human footsteps were no longer, but you could clearly see large scratch marks. 

They didn’t need to follow tracks anymore though. About 50 yards down the street laid 3 bodies, or so they guessed. Bullet casing covered in blood, clumps of hair, and pieces of bone were spread rather evenly on the ground. The only piece of anything that was recognizable was the Brotherhood of Steele power armor chest plate.  
“Wow. That fuck wasn’t bluffing.” Nate said as he crouched down to get a better look.  
Shell didn’t look too close, she didn’t try to identify any part of this mess as Val. It was pointless, there was no way anyone who ran that long and lost that much blood could survive. Certainly not with a gunshot wound like that either. She walked a little further, putting the carnage behind her. Looking down the road further she could see more of those scratch marks.  
It was late now; the sun was long gone, and Shell now sat on her bed by herself. She stared at the bloodied bag and rifle that were propped up by the door. Still not having enough confidence to touch either. She didn’t know the stranger one bit, but there was something about their death that made her sad. She tried not to blame herself for it, it technically wasn’t her fault. She tried to stop them, multiple times. She tried to help, but it didn’t matter.  
She took another drink from her beer before setting it down. She then stood and slowly walked over to the bag. Yes, she was sad, but more so than that, she was scared. What could’ve done that amount of damage that fast? Not even power armor could withstand it. And those trees, effortlessly snapped. This was something that no one had ever dealt with before and something that no one was ready for. Carefully Shell bent down and unzipped the bag. Reaching in she pulled out what seemed to be something wrapped in a black shirt. She sat back on her heels and unwrapped it, expecting food or medicine. But instead she found a small brown journal and a radio. 

There’s a loud sound, enough to wake her up. She blinks a few times, trying to get her bearings. She’s laying in a large bed that takes up the majority of the room. The light flowing in through the windows reflects beautifully off the white sheets and blanket. ‘I’ve never seen anything so clean.’ She sighs and lets her head fall back onto the pillow, her right hand coming up and resting on her stomach. She slowly traced the length of an old scar, calmly trying to piece together how she got in her current situation. There’s something in the back of her mind that tells her it isn’t important and to relax. Rather quickly she gives up. Somewhere, beyond the door to the room there’s another loud metallic sound. She sits up quickly this time, staring hard at the door, waiting for another sound. Her subconscious kicks in again and tells her to relax. With a grimace she slowly gets out of the bed and moved to the door. Opening it, she squints hard at the amount of light in the next room, but she enters, nevertheless.  
Once her eyes begin to adjust, she can make out the silhouette of another person, a fair amount shorter than herself. Her eyes adjust completely, and she reassesses her surroundings. The room she’s just entered is a kitchen, countertops and tile flooring are all white. There’s a large window above a sink that is the main source of light. And standing at the sink facing the window is, “Shell.” Val abruptly states her name, like a child learning to read. The short blond turns immediately, appearing to only be wearing a t-shirt which Val quickly realizes is her own. ‘Did she really steal my shirt?’ She thought to herself. Shell smiles and moves away from the sink.  
Val’s expression is turning more confused by the millisecond. Her eyes move down to her own body as Shell approaches. ‘She’s wearing my shirt. I just have my shorts and bra.’ Val looks over her shoulder back through the bedroom door. Very clearly, she can see her boots at the end of the bed and two sets of pants that seem to have been thrown on the ground. ‘Oh.’ It finally clicks and she nods to herself. Val doesn’t jump when she feels a hand on her face she turns and comes face to face with Shell. The shorter girl smiles again and pulls her down. Their lips meet and the feeling is like no other. No drug could ever compare or even attempt to mimic the almost violent flow of endorphins. It was as if all of your nerves had been turned on for the very first time. While at the same time causing a heavy buzz that sinks into the back of your head. The kiss breaks and leaves Val extremely lightheaded. The smaller girl smiles again before grabbing Val’s hand and leading her back into the bedroom. 

“Hello… You’re seriously leaving... Where are you going... un-fucking-believable.”

Val jerks hard as her eyes fly open, the voice in her head immediately subsiding but leaving a sense of familiarity. She’s sitting forward, with something supporting her chest and head. Attempting to move she instantly decides against it, as she feels something tug down her throat. Pausing for a second she listens. She can hear herself breathing, but above that there’s another breathing sound. As she breathes it feels as if whatever is in her throat is assisting. Moving her hands up into her line of site she takes note of the IV’s.  
‘I need to get out of here.’  
Reaching for her mouth, she feels a solid tube. Grabbing it firmly she begins to pull. Her eyes water as she involuntarily gags and coughs until her airway is clear. Blinking to try and focus she looks around. Countless wires are adhered to her skin, leading up to various monitors, displaying her vital signs. The room itself is somewhat run down, not exactly a total disaster like every other building in the world.

She looks down at her hands and arms again. One IV in each wrist, and a larger needle in the bend of her left arm that currently wasn’t attached to anything. She grimaced hard as a piercing ache split through her left temple. Without warning it all came flooding back.  
It was like a dream, suddenly she was back in the forest, lungs burning, and heart pumping. She could feel the vibrations from its heavy footsteps through her chest. The blood running down her back being cooled by the night air. 

“Come back.” The voice was quiet at first but slowly grew louder. “Come back.” The monster was closer this time, she knew it. This was it. It would tear her apart like the others.

She heard it lunge at her and covered her face with her hands. Val waited for the impact, but it never came. Ever so slowly she brought her hands down, still refusing to open her eyes. Everything was quiet, but she could feel a light breeze on her neck. She couldn’t feel the blood anymore, everything was still.  
“Uh, hello?” Now that didn’t make sense. Val opened her eyes to find herself back in that town. In front of her stood Shell, arms crossed and looking very annoyed. “Where are you going?”  
She opened her mouth to reply but that sharp pain returned in full force. “Fuck!” Grabbing at her head she groaned in pain and doubled over. It took a few seconds, but the pain finally subsided. Val rubbed her temples and looked up again, searching for Shell. But when she lifted her head the small medic was gone. Instead she was back in the dark room hooked up to all the monitors. Val closed her eyes again, trying to handle the rush of memories. She especially struggled with the dreams she had while she was out. Her and Shell in that place together. ‘It felt like I was there for days.’ The image of Shell straddling her in that bed flashed in her head. Chills made their way up her spine and she very quickly tried to shake the thought.


	3. Dreams

Clearing her throat, she took in her surroundings again. Something was different though. There appeared to be an old medical protectron standing just off to the left side of her. Its white and red paint having been worn somewhat, but it wasn’t the worst bot she’d ever seen. ‘Had it always been just standing there? Kind of creepy. Those things look like trashcans with legs.’ She thought to herself with a smirk before moving back to the task at hand. Getting the hell out of here.   
“Patient 110572, you have awoken.” Val’s back was set into a straight line as the mechanical robotic voice spoke. Smirk long gone. She was perfectly still, hoping that she was still dreaming. “It’s come to my attention that your heart rate has increased significantly in the last 4.7 seconds.”   
“What the fuck.” Her own voice scared her. But not as much as when the robot turned to face her and began very loudly walking over to her.   
“On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being almost nothing and 10 being the worst pain you’ve ever felt in your human life, what are you feeling?” The robot came to a stop in front of her, a small yellow light blinking from its top dome.   
Her mouth hung open for a moment. “Confused.”   
“Based off of your answer I would’ve came to the same conclusion. Your condition is stable enough for you to now make your own decisions.”   
Val scoffed, “What is going on here?” she asked quietly to herself. The robot of course answered, causing her to jump. “You are currently the only patient here at Mercy North Hospital in Northern California, the date is June 2nd, 2107. The Hospital was built in October of 2073 in preparation for The Great War.”   
Val had tuned out the last part as she began picking off the various sensors that covered her body. “Thank you for the history lesson. At least I made it to the hospital.”  
“It is my pleasure. I will do my best to answer any and all inquiries you may have.” Val frowned at this, pausing.   
“What exactly happened to me?”   
“Processing… Approximately 3 weeks ago you sustained a gun shot wound to your right shoulder-,”   
Val’s head snapped up. “Wait wait wait, three weeks?”   
“Affirmative.”   
“I was out for three fuckin weeks?” she asked pointing at herself.  
“Affirmative.”   
“Fucking Christ!” she yelled now ripping off the rest of the sensors including her IV’s.   
“Patient 110572, I would strongly advise against removing your intravenous devices.”   
“I don’t care what you advise, you fuckin bucket!” Val tried to stand at this point, her knees locking, buckling, and shaking. “Shit.” She whispers to herself.  
“Patient 110572, I would strongly advise against standing, you are still currently under the influence of anesthesia.”  
Val takes a step, bracing herself on the chair. “Ana- what?”   
Before the bucket can answer, her hand slips and she falls to the floor, hands slapping hard on the tile. Stunned and dizzied she tries to center herself, the pain in her head spiking for a brief moment.   
“Due to your current behavior I have deemed you a threat to your own recovery. You will now receive further sedation and restraints.” The monotone robotic voice echoed through the room. Val turned onto her back as fast as she could, just in time to see the robot clamp one of its claws down on her ankle.   
“What the fuck are you doing?!”  
The protectron pulled her effortlessly across the floor so she was now laying directly under it. She held out her hands and tried her best to get away. Val’s yelling turned to screaming when she watched the robot’s chest plate open, revealing a smaller arm that held a syringe. She attempted to grab it, but the robot’s other claw latched onto her wrist, twisting and turning her on her side, now helpless. Val did nothing but yell as the needle sunk deep into her shoulder.   
She could feel it almost instantly, the cold sensation spreading through her arm. Her exhale was slow and heavy as the room began to blur.  
“Patient 110572, please remain calm.” The automated words felt as if they were being dragged across her brain, slow and low. Val couldn’t fight the wave of relaxation that overcame her. Feeling her consciousness slipping away she turned her head to look at the robot. Blonde hair and brown eyes stared hard into her own. “You’re a stubborn fuck.” Shell said, before standing from her crouched position and walking through the door. Val watched her leave, saliva hanging from her mouth and pooling onto the floor. As soon as the door shut behind the medic everything went black.

“You doin ok down there?”   
Kevin’s voice barely effected the blonde. “Uh yeah, I’m alright.” Her voice was much quieter than normal. The small radio holding her attention, producing nothing but static and a few clicks here and there, like it always has. The bartender stared at her, his forehead wrinkling. He watched Shell fidget with the dials for a moment before walking over to her.   
“You’ve been putting around with that thing for almost a month now.” He said placing his hands on the bar in his classic stance.   
She scoffed, not even bothering to look up. “Hasn’t been a month.” Her voice held a heavy emotionless tone.   
“I said almost.”   
“Maybe like 3 weeks, max.”   
“Yeah, almost a month.”   
“No, its not.”   
“Well, yeah it is.”   
“No, it’s more like exactly 3 weeks.”  
Kevin shook his head finally realizing how dumb this conversation was. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”   
Slamming the radio down on the bar Shell spoke. “What do you fuckin want from me Kevin? Huh? You want me to just sit here and drink like always? Sit here waiting for something to happen? And then shit hits the fan and I’m left with this feeling that I didn’t do enough! This radio doesn’t fucking work! There’s nothing but numbers in this stupid notebook! There’s a big ass ‘Whatever the fuck’ roaming around out there cutting through Power Armor and fucking trees. And you want me to sit here and drink like normal? Mind you my ‘normal’ is hating this fucking sad life and basically just waiting to die from radiation! So sorry if I’m a little quiet because I let someone walk through the front fuckin gates when I shouldn’t have.” She took a breath and sat down, realizing that she had stood up at some point during her rant. 

Kevin sighed, “Look, we’ve been over this. There is nothing you could’ve done to stop her from leaving. You have got to stop this guilt from eating you.” 

Shell covered her face with her hands, feeling a sudden rush of emotions. “I know, I didn’t feel like this when it happened. But these dreams keep getting worse and I don’t know what to do.” 

“Have you ever told anyone what happens in these dreams?” 

“Absolutely not!” Shell snapped, her smartass demeanor coming back for a moment. 

Kevin raised his hands defensively, “Well I don’t know! But sometimes it’s good to talk about that stuff. Clears your head.” 

“I will never share any of these dreams with anyone.” Her voice once again dropped to monotone as she picked up the radio again.   
Kevin chuckled. “What? Are they like sex dreams or something?”   
Shell raised her eyebrows and blinked in bewilderment, placing the notebook into her pocket and standing. “Wha- are you leaving?”  
Shell threw Val’s rifle over her back turning and walking. “Thank you, Kevin.”   
“I was just kidding!”   
“Thank you, Kevin!” Shell called back to him as she kicked the door open. 

Shell stood on the top of the gate, looking for anything. Static continued to crackle from the radio, now clipped to her belt. The red orange light from the sunset flooded the land around the town. There was nothing out there, nothing but the fields and the tree line. Shell thought about that, how the town was surrounded by nothing but dead trees. Surrounded by death. She could feel it, that guilt creeping in once again. It seemed like it was always the same time every day. It would reach an unbearable point once she tried to sleep. She already knew it; she knew she’d cry and end up back on top of the gate where she’d fall asleep. And then she’d dream, some of them terrifying, but others peaceful and exciting. She hated those the most. Things would be so much easier if fear was the only thing running through her mind. She wiped her eyes, already knowing her hands would come away wet.   
The radio cracked and clicked, it sounded different this time. Quickly she pulled it from her belt and stared at it. The clicking persisted, louder and louder. Grimacing, she fiddled with some of the dials in an attempt to get something, anything, over the static. Her heart was pounding as her eyes burned into the small device. “Fuck you!” out of frustration she smacked the radio into the palm of her other hand. She very quickly wished she hadn’t done that. The device began screeching a high-pitched tone. Shell almost dropped it off the side of the gate as she hurried to turn it off.   
With a loud click it was turned off, the screeching, silenced. 

“What the hell?” Nate’s voice caused her to jump.   
“How long have you been standing there?” she asked, almost accusatory.   
Nate ignored her question and pointed to the radio in her hands. “That was a locator signal.”   
Shell shook her head. “What do you mean?”   
“Someone is looking for that radio.”


	4. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello!   
> Sorry for the upload delay. I’m sure you guys hear it from everyone.

Shell’s eyes opened and she lazily began taking in the familiar details of her room. The heavy orange of the rising sun reflected on the metal walls, only to be cut harshly by the shadow of the makeshift window. As she laid there Shell instantly noticed the burning sensation in her stomach. These days it was a constant. Before it would come and go with stress, but now it was almost normal. Getting uncomfortable, she rolled over to face the window sighing at the dull but bright sky. She closed her eyes in an attempt to fall back asleep, anything to help how she was feeling. She laid there for awhile. Listening to the other people outside. Someone was humming gently. Which was kind of strange. Shell couldn’t remember the last time she heard someone else hum. The song sounded happy, and Shell found herself being lulled to sleep from it. Whoever was humming began quietly singing to themselves. She listened hard to the voice. It was obviously a woman’s but she couldn’t pick out who it was. Well this wasn’t going to work. She needed to know.

With protest at her own stubbornness she opened her eyes and sat up in bed. But once she did this she realized the humming wasn’t coming from outside. It was coming from someone sitting at her desk that was at the end of her bed facing the wall. They had their legs crossed and their feet resting next to her lamp. They wore heavy black boots, dark green cargo pants and a black t shirt. Their hair or at least the top of it was about 3 inches long the rest of it shaved down to the skin. Goggles sat proudly on top of their head as they swayed to their own singing.

Green eyes turned and landed on Shell’s. They held the same tone as when those same eyes looked back at her after killing the raider that rushed her in the shed.  
“You’re finally awake.” They spoke, there was something else in their eyes. Mischief. “Took you long enough.”

Shell smiles sadly to herself. “I’m still asleep if you’re here.”

Val frowned mockingly. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. I like your shirt by the way.” She fired, pointing at the shirt Shell stole from her backpack.   
“Uh- I am- I’m definitely asleep. There’s no other option.” The smaller girl replied as she got out of bed. She could now see that Val was holding her own small brown notebook. Her thumb keeping it open and showing the rows and rows of numbers that filled its pages.  
“Well there is another option.”  
Shell smiled and shook her head. “Shut up I’m not schizophrenic.” She almost laughed as Val uncrossed and moved her legs. Closing the book and turning to Shell her expression darkened.  
“No. You’re not. But whatever is going on in your head, is getting really dark. And it’s about to get a lot worse.”  
Shell stopped. Arms halfway outstretched, dropped to her sides.   
“I’m dreaming.”  
Those green eyes darkened as Val squinted at her. “I think you might wanna get a second opinion.”  
Loud knocking pulled Shell’s attention away from Val.   
“Hey! Get up! We have company!” Nate’s voice was muffled but clear through the metal door.  
Shell frowned to herself before turning back to Val. Or where she was sitting. The chair was now empty. The small notebook left behind.  
Fear and disbelief mixed thick in her blood. And for the first time, Shell crosses her arms, nervously grabbing her shoulder, as she questioned her sanity.  
In the next second her eyes snapped open. Once again taking in the orange hue of the rising sun.  
Shell sits up quickly, looking directly at her desk. Chair pushed in, notebook closed, radio sitting just to the side of the lamp, just how she left it.

Loud knocking once again interrupted her train of thought.  
Shell’s eyes opened and she was once again taking in that deep orange of the sun. She sat up, immediately looking towards her desk. The chair was pushed in, the radio sitting neatly on top of the closed journal.  
A mixture of confusion and worry came over her like a cool breeze. She didn’t know what to think or how to feel. Shell wasn’t stupid though, she knew she could possibly be dealing with some stress induced psychosis.

She sighed, checking herself mentally. ‘I didn’t even know this person, I’m just having survivor’s guilt.’

“Hey! Wake up!” Nate’s voice carried through the door as he knocked. He look surprised when the door flew open.  
“What is your deal? Can you stop pounding on my door like an ape?”  
“I knocked once, and you’re very angry this morning.”

Another wave of confusion came over Shell. “Well- uh, what do you need?”

Nate’s face shifted, he leaned down to whisper even though no one was around. “There’s a group of guys at the gate, they look like raiders, and they’re asking about that girl that was here. I told you to get rid of that radio.”

Shell could feel her shoulders tensing up, but nodded. “Give me like 5 minutes, I’ll meet you out there.”

As she walked out towards the gate she could see the town security surrounding a group of 3 men. The tallest one, was bald with a thick black beard. The one to his left had his hair pulled back into a tight bun. While on the right, the shortest one had a standard military cut and couldn’t have been older than 20. All of them were wearing clothes similar to how Val was dressed and were heavily armed.  
The bald man noticed Shell, and spoke up.

“Good morning! Didn’t mean to wake you.” His voice was thick and raspy, Shell could tell he was a smoker.  
The other guards parted to let her step through.

“What’s going on here? Just passing through, I hope.” Annoyance already twisted in her words.  
The bald man scoffed and smiled, showing off his teeth that were all gold.  
“I was actually hoping you could help me find someone.” He reached for his back pocket, automatically causing the guards to draw their weapons. Naturally the other two visitors drew their guns in defense. “Easy.” The bald man said, pulling out a familiar looking radio.  
Shell crossed her arms, paying extra attention to her own facial expression to ensure that her emotions couldn’t be read.  
“My radio picked up a distress signal from here. Our leader was headed in this direction. Have you had any other visitors lately? Tall woman? Shaved head on the sides? Dumb goggles and a face mask?”

The silence that followed was heavy. Shell tried to clear the lump in her throat. “She was here, yes.”

The man frowned. “Was? She didn’t happen to say where she was headed?”

“North, to the hospital.” As she spoke she could see Val standing there that night by the gate. The last time she saw her. “But uh, she didn’t make it.”

“What are you trying to say?” he asked, looking at the other guards, almost accusatory.

“We didn’t do anything. She was attacked by something just through the forest over there.” Shell pointed and the 3 men looked out the gate towards the forest. Shell opened her mouth to say more but faltered. “I tried to get her to stay. But she wouldn’t listen. She was in no condition to be traveling.”

The bald man turned back to Shell, narrowing his eyes at her. “Why not? Was she hurt?”

“We were in the middle of getting raided when she showed up. She was shot in the shoulder, but refused any medical treatment and then insisted on leaving in the middle of the night.”

The bald man kind of stared at her for a moment before looking over to his colleagues. They smiled at each other before the man with the bun burst out laughing.  
The bald man smiled, “Yeah that’s definitely her.” He took a breath, his smile fading. “So she’s dead? You can confirm this?”

Shell frowned, “Uh, yes? I have her rifle and her bag.”

“Did you see a body?” The younger man finally spoke up.

Nate chimed in, seeing that Shell was getting uncomfortable. “There wasn’t much to recover, she was attacked by some type of large animal. It killed a Brotherhood of Steele patrol as well. We’ve been on high alert ever since.”

The bald man spoke sincerely. “I see, and I apologize, it’s just, she survives everything. So it’s hard for me to believe that she’s actually gone.” He paused and the other men were quiet. “Would you mind showing us the gun, and her bag? I just need to see it.”

This didn’t sit well with Shell, but she didn’t protest. “I don’t see why not, but who exactly are you?”

The bald man looked confused for a moment. “Oh I’m sorry! I’m Ray. This is Travis and Jinx.” Travis being the younger one, and Jinx being the lanky man with the bun. “We’re like mercenaries, hired guns. Val was our leader, she was scouting out a base location. Which I’m guessing she was thinking that the hospital would be a good place.”

Shell nodded, not offering her own name. “Wait here, I’ll bring you her things.” She said turning to walk back to her home.  
Ray smiled, “I can just go with you.” He said starting to walk after her. Nate stepped forward, placing his hand in the middle of Ray’s chest.  
“Nate its fine.” Shell said, her and Nate shared a look before he stepped away from Ray.  
“Don’t try anything.” Nate threatened as he watched them walk away.

“He’s cute.” Ray said when they got out of earshot.  
“Uh yeah, that’s Nate for ya.” Shell said in a monotone voice.  
Ray laughed, “So what’s your name? You know, besides gorgeous.”

Shell stopped, turning abruptly. “Please, don’t do that.” she said it like a threat. Causing Ray to visibly recoil and put up his hands.  
“Alright, professional, got it.”  
Shell unlocked her door and pushed it open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
